Recap of using TechAtlas for E-Rate technology planning

For those of you who missed WebJunction’s webcast on E-Rate Technology Planning with TechAtlas last week, fear not. We’ve archived a couple of documents from that session on WebJunction, including the PowerPoint presentation that was used during the webcast, as well as a video and audio recording of the webcast itself. If you’re needing some help with your library’s E-Rate technology plan, check these resources out!

TechAtlas chat is off and running!

Thanks to those who participated in today’s TechAtlas chat session. We had nine “gabbers” discussing various aspects of TechAtlas, as well as general technical support isuses for libraries. We also had at least one TechAtlas problem report, so we’ll look into that and see if we can get it resolved quickly!

You can view a PDF archive of today’s TechAtlas chat session.

The next TechAtlas chat session will be on Friday, August 4 from 12-3 pm EDT (9 am-12 PDT). To join in, login to your TechAtlas account and look for the live link on the Home page for your TechAtlas account.

TechAtlas and the Rural Library Sustainability Project

WebJunction’s Rural Library Sustainability Project (RLS) is a nationwide initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help those managing libraries in small communities fight the good fight. The energy, ideas, and enthusiasm generated by this program are infectious, are we’re glad to see that TechAtlas for Libraries is lending some value to project participants.

While there is lots of great RLS content on WebJunction itself, some of the state coordinators for the program have found innovative methods of keeping the momentum going. The Building a Sustainable Future blog in Kansas is a great example, and not just because it mentions TechAtlas!

More details on TechAtlas chat

We’ve had a few questions about how to connect to the TechAtlas chat session mentioned a couple of blog posts ago. If you’re interested in participating in the chat session, read on…

When the chat session is live this Friday July 28 between 9 am and 12 noon PDT (12 noon – 3 pm EDT), there will be a URL link on the TechAtlas Home page that will allow you to access the chat session. Here are the specific steps to follow if you want to join the chat:

1. Go to the TechAtlas for Libraries site: http://webjunction.techatlas.org
2. Login to your TechAtlas account. If you don’t have a TechAtlas account, you can create one by clicking the Sign-Up Now! button.
3. Once you’ve logged into TechAtlas, you’ll be placed on the Home page. In the text block at the top of that page, look for a link to live chat.

The link will only be “live” when the chat sessions are active on Fridays at the times indicated above. If you have questions or comments about TechAtlas that you’d like to share, please join us!

BTW, if anyone is interested, the chat tool we will be using is Gabbly.

TechAtlas and technology grants

I was pleased to see that TechAtlas for Libraries is prominently mentioned in the most recent issue of Computers in Libraries. Stephanie Gerding and Pam MacKellar have authored a great article in that issue titled Wishing Won’t Work: 10 Things You Need to Know and Do When Applying for Technology Grants.

The second item on their list of ten recommends that librarians seeking technology grants “read about technology planning tools and advice.” TechAtlas is mentioned right off the bat as a “convenient (and free!) tool for library technology planning”. I couldn’t agree more, and we’re glad to see TechAtlas for Libraries mentioned in such a useful article!

Live chat coming to TechAtlas

Beginning on Friday, 7/28 TechAtlas users will be able to chat with other users, and with the people who maintain and support the tools. We’re planning to offer 3 hour blocks of time for chat each week, hosted by WebJunction and TechAtlas staff. We’ll consider expanding the availability of (both hosted and unhosted) live chat based on results of our initial attempts. If you have any comments or thoughts on how to best manage live chat for TechAtlas, please let us know — we’d welcome any suggestions as this is our first attempt at this. Hope to chat with you on Friday.

TechAtlas and the Normative Data Project

One of the more interesting angles that we’ve been exploring as we plot the future of TechAtlas for Libraries is the possibility of leveraging the data gathered by the tool. We’ve come to realize that the technical inventory information that libraries enter into TechAtlas constitutes a fairly unique data set. More to the point, the detailed information gathered in TechAtlas represents data that does not exist even in the mostly widely recognized aggregations of library data, such the Library Statistics Program at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Along this same path, we have had some initial discussions with the Normative Data Project (NDP) team at SirsiDynix. For those not familiar with the NDP, it’s an ambitious project to merge data derived from the NCES, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, the GeoLib program at Florida State University, as well as individual contributing libraries. Exactly how data gathered in TechAtlas might mesh with the NDP is still a matter of speculation, but we hope to find a way to extend the value of TechAtlas to the profession by merging data sets somewhere in the near future.

E-Rate technology planning with TechAtlas

Since WebJunction began work with TechAtlas in 2005, one of our primary goals has been to make the tool useful to public libraries pursuing funding through the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, better known as E-Rate.

While we still have some work to do, we’ve made quite a bit of progress already in making TechAtlas “E-Rate compliant.” If your library pursues E-Rate funding and needs assistance in completing a technology plan, consider joining us on Wednesday, July 26 for a free webcast on E-Rate technology planning with TechAtlas. Although the webcast is free, we do ask that you register in advance since space is limited. Visit WebJunction’s TechAtlas Online Learning Opportunities page to learn more and to register for this event.

Keeping the conversation going

Although the TechAtlas for Libraries blog is a little removed from WebJunction itself, we still consider ourselves to be a part of the almighty WJ, and we’re always thrilled to see commentary from the WJ community on TechAtlas.

We’ve had some recent feedback regarding TechAtlas on the WJ discussion boards, and we’d love to hear more – if you’re a WebJunction member, join in the All Aboard discussion, or feel free to post your thoughts and ideas right here on the TechAtlas for Libraries blog. Either way, your continuing suggestions regarding TechAtlas are always welcome!